That's My Girl
by Alexannah
Summary: The Doctor thought Jenny was dead. He never expected to see her again. So it comes as a shock when he runs into her on Earth in the twenty-first century. But happy reunions are going to have to wait, as his daughter doesn't seem to know him at all-in fact, she thinks she's human ...
1. Lost

**Canon:** Post-JE, pre-TWoSJS

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who. I did write the poems though—please don't steal.

* * *

**That's My Girl**

By Alexannah

**Chapter One: Lost**

Sarah Jane pulled her cardigan closer around her, shivering, as the cell door was unlocked and opened, and the policeman called inside. "You're free to go, Mr Smith."

The Doctor, who had been lying face-down on the cell bed, lifted his head off his arms and grinned. "Sarah Jane! You're my hero." He slid off the bed and approached the door. "Can I have my belongings back now, officer?"

Once the Doctor had been reunited with his coat and the contents of his pockets, which filled an entire cardboard box, he and Sarah Jane left the station and ventured out into the middle of the night.

"I really appreciate this, Sarah Jane," the Doctor said as he relocated all his belongings to the right pockets. "They took the psychic paper away before I could tell it anything. Besides, I'm not sure who I could have pretended to be, in that situation."

"You mean breaking into a teenage girl's bedroom?"

"Well, yeah."

"You're right, there's no-one you could be that would excuse that behaviour. Which brings us to the question, why _did_ you break into a teenage girl's bedroom, Doctor?"

He sighed. "It's sort of complicated."

They reached Sarah Jane's car, and she unlocked it. "Where's the TARDIS?"

"Recovering after a nasty incident with a rift. I can't get in for another eight hours. Sarah Jane ..."

She opened the passenger door and gestured for him to get in.

"So," she said, once they were on a long stretch of road. "What's all this about?" She chanced a glance at the Doctor, and got a shock. He was staring out of the window, apparently lost in thought, his pained face unusually easy to read. "Doctor? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. What's going on?"

He wouldn't answer, just closed his eyes. Sarah Jane turned hers back on the road, deciding to postpone the interrogation.

The car was silent for most of the journey. When they were entering Ealing, the Doctor finally spoke again. "Sarah Jane?" His voice sounded lost: mournful and confused.

"Yes?"

"Can you help me?"

She smiled. "Of course I will."

* * *

When Luke came downstairs the next morning, he got a shock. A man was asleep on the living-room sofa, only a mop of brown hair sticking out from under a blanket and a pair of feet sticking out the other end.

"Mum?"

Sarah Jane entered. "Yes?"

"Who's the houseguest?"

She beckoned him out of the room. "It's the Doctor." Luke's mouth fell open. "I'll explain later, you're running late."

Luke thought this was rather unfair, but after a hurried breakfast left for school without arguing.

As he walked, his mind went back to the day the Earth was taken by the Daleks. After all the stories he'd heard about the Doctor, it was exciting enough seeing him on the screen. And now he was at their house! What could he be doing in Ealing? It wasn't as if alien invasions were thin on the ground in their part of London, but they were usually able to handle it themselves. Why was the Doctor there—and sleeping in their living-room?

"Luke! Hey, LUKE!"

"Huh?"

He turned round just as Clyde caught up with him. "Where's your head this morning?"

"Probably at home."

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah, as far as I know. But you'll never guess who stayed over last night …"

* * *

When the Doctor woke, he found himself face-to-face with an old companion. "Oh. Morning, Sarah Jane." He stretched. "Thanks for the sofa."

"You're welcome. Breakfast?"

"If you're offering."

After smoothing down his crumpled suit he followed her into the kitchen and offered a hand. She waved him off and made him sit while she boiled the kettle and popped four slices of bread in the toaster.

"So," Sarah Jane said after a minute or two of silence, "What _were_ you doing in a teenage girl's bedroom?" When she got no reply, she tried a different tack. "Are they aliens?"

He just laughed, though the humour didn't meet his eyes.

"Doctor, you're going to have to tell me something, otherwise how can I help?"

"I was looking for something," he said. "Something I didn't find." He bit his lip. "It's got to be _somewhere_."

"What has, what are you looking for?"

"A chameleon arch."

"And … what's that when it's at home?"

He seemed lost in his own thought processes. "Maybe it's not in her room, maybe it's in one of the others; or maybe it's somewhere else, not in the house at all—"

"Doctor!"

He jerked in surprise. "Sorry! Got lost for a moment."

"Are you all right?" As he opened his mouth, she cut over him. "And don't just brush off the question, I know you and I know when there's something really wrong. Telling me you're fine won't work."

The Doctor was silent for a moment. "I don't know."

"Let's start again. What is a chameleon arch and why were you looking for it where you were?"

"It's Time Lord technology which can rewrite biology," the Doctor said heavily. "Can turn one species into another. With a catch; memories are re-written."

"One … species into another?" Sarah Jane poured out fresh coffee for him and put his toast on a plate. "Who would do that?"

"I did. Once. To hide. But that's not the point." After a moment, he realised his breakfast was in front of him and helped himself to the butter.

"It's not?"

"She can't have done it herself."

"She. She? The girl whose bedroom—"

"I broke into, yes. That's why it was my starting point to find it. Unfortunately she's a lighter sleeper than I anticipated and the humans pretending to be her parents didn't take too kindly to a strange man in her bedroom—as the lump on my head can attest." The Doctor rubbed it absently. "Mr Brown is quite skilled with a cricket bat."

Sarah Jane tried not to laugh. "You got knocked out with a cricket bat?"

"I didn't say knocked out ... Okay, I was knocked out. But that's not the point. The point is, I couldn't find the chameleon arch. It's got to be _somewhere_."

"Doctor—wait, what do you mean,_ pretending to be _her parents?"

"Just that. She can't have done this to herself, she didn't have the knowledge or the technology. They've got to be the ones behind it. The question is how and why; I didn't know anyone but Time Lords even had the technology. Maybe it was stolen …" He shuddered. "I don't even want to think about why. I just hope I'm not too late. Mind you, if her Time Lord consciousness was all they wanted, they'd have just killed her afterwards, they wouldn't have carried on with the illusion—"

"Time Lord consciousness?"

"They must want her for something else, but what?"

"Doctor!"

"What?"

"Are you telling me she's a Time Lord?"

"Time Lady," he corrected. "And yes. Or rather, she was. At the moment she's human. Thinks she's human too."

"So—how do you know who she is?"

"Because she's my daughter."

**TBC …**


	2. Ghost

**Chapter Two: Ghost**

"I can't believe that creep got released."

"I think he was only bailed, darling, not let off," Mrs Brown said.

"What if he comes back, Mum?"

"He won't. He knows what's good for him. Your father certainly gave him something to think about."

Jenny leaned back in the chair and went back to her homework. She couldn't concentrate; her mind kept flitting back to last night—or rather half one that morning. A single floorboard creak had woken her to find a figure in her room. A scream and a whack later, and she was staring down at an unconscious man on her floor.

She stabbed the book with her pen in irritation. Something was bugging her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. He'd been familiar, somehow; like she should know him—

A light flicked on in her mind.

_Someone bumped into her, muttering an apology, and she glanced back, giving a quick "It's all right, don't mention it" sort of smile, before turning back to her conversation. A moment later, though, a shiver ran down her spine, and she glanced back over her shoulder._

_A man stood several paces away; quite tall, in a long brown coat, and he was staring at her with his mouth hanging open in the most undignified manner._

"_Jenny, you okay? Hey, Jenny!"_

_Samantha waved a hand in front of her face, pulling her out of her reverie. "What's up?"_

"_I'm being stared at," Jenny muttered. Her friend turned to look too._

"_The tall guy?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Blimey, he looks like he's seen a ghost."_

"_Yeah," Jenny murmured. For some reason she couldn't tear her eyes away; She had a flash, of him standing closer to her, with a similarly shocked expression—perhaps not quite the same one—flanked by two women …_

_No, the image had gone as quickly as it had come. Her imagination going overtime, her mum would say. She'd always told Jenny she should be a children's writer with all the fantasies she wrote in her diary._

_She tore her eyes away from the man, and went back to her conversation, but her mind wasn't on it. For the rest of the day, she kept looking over her shoulder, almost convinced at one point that she'd seen him following them …_

"Mum!"

"What is it, darling?"

"I knew I'd seen him before. He bumped into me in White City yesterday, he must have followed me all the way back home."

"Like you said, honey, a creep."

"But there were hundreds of girls my age there, why would he follow me?"

Her mother sighed. "Jenny, don't you think you're trying to make this into something it isn't? He's a pervert who deserved what he got, he won't be coming back, and I think we should put it behind us. Jenny?"

Jenny didn't reply. The man had frightened her, certainly, when she'd found him in her room. But before that, in the town, he hadn't seemed creepy. Just a bit lost. For some reason she felt a pang of sympathy for him.

Where had that come from? She shook herself. Her mum was right, it was stupid to obsess. She threw her homework aside; if she couldn't focus on fractions, she was going to distract herself with a good book.

* * *

"Your daughter? Sarah Jane almost dropped her coffee mug. Her houseguest nodded. "Doctor … I thought your family were … I mean … are you sure?"

"Maybe I am going crazy," he muttered. "Maybe I'm seeing things and she's just a normal human." There was a pause. "No, she's not, she can't be."

"Doctor." Sarah Jane lay a hand on his arm. "What makes you think she's …"

"She looked at me!" He looked up triumphantly. "When I saw her, she _looked_ at me, like, like she recognised me but couldn't place my face. I know she did."

"You weren't staring at her, by any chance?"

"No. Well, yes, maybe, but—"

"Then maybe she was staring because you were," Sarah Jane suggested.

He shook his head. "No, it's her. I _know_ that's Jenny."

"There's a lot of Jennys out there, Doctor."

"I know! But she looks like her, like _my_ Jenny. Identical, absolutely; it _has_ to be her."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"What?" he asked, wrong-footed.

"When was the last time you saw your Jenny, discounting yesterday."

"About … I dunno … four months ago."

"Really?" Sarah Jane was taken by surprise. "But I thought …"

"That I was seeing someone long dead," the Doctor finished for her. "Well, I'm … not."

Sarah Jane noticed the hesitation and pointed it out. The Doctor sighed in response.

"She _was_ dead. Or dying, rather. Of a gunshot wound on Messanine. I thought … I waited … but maybe not long enough ..."

"But if she regenerated, wouldn't she look different now?"

"No, she, she might not have regenerated as such—there was the terraforming …"

"Doctor, I think you're grasping at straws."

"Sarah Jane, you're a parent." He let that one sink in. "If you lost Luke, and then you thought there was even the tiniest possibility he might be alive after all, wouldn't you pursue that?"

"Of course I would. I just … think you should be prepared to be wrong, Doctor. Because everyone's wrong sometimes, and let's face it—you _want_ this girl to be your Jenny."

He swallowed, and allowed a tiny nod.

"So let me help you. You can't be seen near her, the Browns will call the police and you'll end up in jail again."

"Any ideas?"

She sighed. "I'm not sure. Finish your breakfast, and then tell me all about Jenny."

He looked down at the half-buttered, now cold toast, and nodded.

* * *

The Doctor got out of Sarah Jane's car, thanked her, and then turned towards the TARDIS as she drove back home. The ship stood on a street corner right where he'd left her, looking good as new. He sighed, and unlocked the door.

On the inside, what usually seemed a warm and welcoming interior now felt incredibly empty. He closed the door behind him, and leaned against it, staring at the console.

He could just see her now, his daughter, the young Time Lady, running around the room; helping him fly her, teasing him, asking question after question. For a moment the image of her moving around was almost real. The ship seemed warmer somehow because of it. A lump arose in his throat and he shook himself.

"You don't even know it _is_ her," he said to himself. "Get a grip."

He stepped up to the console, which now felt a lot more solitary, and set the co-ordinates for Sarah Jane's.

* * *

"You do realise he'll probably have long gone," Luke said as he unlocked his front door.

"Worth a try though," Rani said. "Ouch, Clyde, stop jostling me."

"I can't help it, I feel like we're about to meet the Prime Minister or something. Only much more interesting."

"That's only if he's still here. Mum?" Luke stepped into the hall, very closely followed by his friends.

"Up here!"

The three of them looked at each other.

"Guess that answers the question," Rani said, and the three of them raced up to the attic.

Clyde got there first, and paused in the doorway, or tried to—the others pushed him inside so they could see too.

"Doctor?" Luke said tentatively.

The stranger in the room was eyeing them in mild amusement. "Correct. I suppose you three must be Luke, Rani and Clyde."

"That's us!"

Sarah Jane, who was on the phone, motioned for them to be quiet and left the attic, probably to find somewhere quieter. Luke noticed Mr Smith was out. On the screen was a photo and biography of a teenage girl. "Who's that?"

"She's pretty, whoever she is."

The Doctor gave a low growl, and Clyde stepped backward. "Er, are you sure you're the Doctor?"

"Not that we're complaining that you're here or anything," Rani said, "but .. why are you here?"

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck absently. "I was hoping Sarah Jane might assist me with something."

"Who's she?" Luke asked, nodding at the screen.

The Doctor hesitated. "I … don't know."

"Shall I repeat the information, Doctor?" Mr Smith asked.

"Go ahead."

"Jennifer Brown, date of birth 26/04/1993 in Edgware Hospital. Raised in Mill Hill until six months ago when the family moved to Ruislip."

"Okay," Clyde said slowly.

"And?" The Doctor pressed, but not enthusiastically.

"I cannot confirm the authenticity of the records either way. If it is faked then it is the most expert fake I have seen before."

"I don't get it."

Sarah Jane came back upstairs. "Who was that?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm not sure. Some defence laywer, insisted on giving me their details. They must have got my number from the police."

"Police?" Rani asked. "What's going on?"

"You'd better tell them, Doctor. They might have some ideas."

"Okay, kids, pull up a chair."

**TBC …**


	3. Code

**Chapter Three: Code**

A silence fell in the attic after the Doctor had finished storytelling. He had gone back to staring at the photo of his possible daughter on Mr Smith's screen, almost an absent expression on his face. The other occupants of the room exchanged glances.

"Doctor," Sarah Jane said.

"Mm?"

"What exactly is the plan of action?"

"Er …" He pulled himself out of his reverie. "Find out if it really is her. I thought that was obvious."

She smiled. "I was thinking more along the lines of _how_ we were going to do that."

"Oh. Right. 'Course." He coughed awkwardly. "I'm open to suggestions."

"I'm guessing that's code for 'I don't know'," Clyde whispered in Rani's ear.

"I wonder …" Sarah Jane hesitated. "Doctor, you said she was—sorry—programmed, with knowledge, skills. That might not all be wiped away, if somehow we could get her to tap into it, it would prove who she is."

The Doctor considered. "And if we can't?"

Mr Smith butted in. "May I draw your attention to the six years of after-school clubs in gymnastics and martial arts."

"Oh," Sarah Jane said.

"Well, it was a good idea," Rani said.

"There's still the knowledge, though. She can strategise, right?"

"And chess," Mr Smith added.

The Doctor read the biography again. "That's a point. Whoever organised this made sure all Jenny's skills were accounted for in her history. Wait—history—she had a load of military history too, and knowledge of how to handle weapons." He suppressed a shudder. "Maybe that's the key, if no-one has any better ideas …"

"Hang on, I'm still processing the 'programmed' bit," Clyde said. "What do you mean?"

"Jenny wasn't, well, born," the Doctor said. "Not in the normal way. She was grown."

"Wait—Jenny's like me?" Luke gaped.

"Eh?" The Doctor said. "What do you mean?"

"You said she was—what was it?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Progenation. In a machine," the Doctor said. "Why?"

"I was grown in a lab," Luke said helpfully.

"Lukey-boy, we've found you a soulmate!" Clyde put an arm round his shoulders, but the smile slid off his face at the Doctor's expression. "Although—how does that help, exactly?"

"I'm not sure."

"Actually …" Luke thought. "Doctor, this chameleon arch, does it change someone's physical body structure or is it only at a cellular level? I mean, you look human enough already …"

The Doctor shook his head. "It's a full change. I have two hearts, when I turned human I had one. Why do you ask?"

"Would the same apply to a navel?"

There was a long silence. Eventually the Doctor said, "I … don't know. I don't think so, since it's not species specific."

"Luke that's genius! If she hasn't got one then we've got the answer!—Jenny didn't have one, did she, Doctor?"

"It wasn't exactly forefront of my mind to check," he said. "But I would imagine not. But that's not the issue."

"It's not?"

"No, the issue is, how in the universe are you going to find out if she has one?"

* * *

"Okay, Clyde and Rani have gone," Sarah Jane said, re-entering the attic, "and Luke's doing his homework." She paused. The Doctor was still sitting there, staring up at Jenny's photo with an unreadable expression on his face. "Doctor?"

"Mm?"

"Sarah Jane, is it necessary for me to remain active?" Mr Smith said. "I do not seem to be required yet the Doctor insists on keeping up this information."

"You can shut down now, Mr Smith," Sarah Jane said gently.

"Thank you, Sarah Jane." Mr Smith slid closed.

The Doctor didn't move, and didn't protest the loss of his picture, but something about him seemed to crush. Sarah Jane sat down next to him. "How are you holding up?"

"Just thinking," he said, so quietly she could barely hear him.

"About?"

He sniffed. "You know when you lose someone you start thinking of all the stuff that wasn't said. You know—things that should have been said, or said more."

She nodded. "Yes."

"If she is … if I'm not mad … if we can turn her back … I wouldn't know where to start …"

"How about telling her you love her?"

"I don't—didn't—didn't have a chance—there wasn't time, she just—walked out of that machine, dropping into my life, and we were so focused on the war ... hours later, the shock—I—"

"Doctor."

"Yes?"

"She's your daughter. You're hurting. Of course you love her. Whether that came before or after the gunshot is irrelevant. You love her now, so tell her."

"Or maybe I should start with sorry," he admitted, even quieter. "There's so much I wish I could take back—tell her I was wrong—"

Sarah Jane took his hand and squeezed it. "I don't know what happened between you, or what you said or did, but take my advice Doctor; start with you love her."

He fell into silence, eyes contemplating her words. "Thank you," he finally said, "and you're right. It's the first thing I'll tell her. Once she's herself again."

* * *

The Doctor headed outside, needing some air. Walking right past the TARDIS, he strolled down Bannerman Road, deep in thought.

As he passed the house opposite Sarah Jane's, he saw something moving in the corner of his eye and looked up, spotting Rani in a dressing-gown waving from a window. He smiled and gave a small wave back, before his eyes returned to staring at his trainers as he wandered aimlessly towards the Broadway.

He knew Sarah Jane was right. Her words had rung true. He mentally rehearsed for what he could say once Jenny had her memories back. Nothing sounded right. Maybe he should just leave it, and hope the words came out right when the moment came, as they usually did.

He wondered what Jenny would be like now. After all this was over, would she be feeling forgiving? Especially if it turned out to be his fault she had been made human. The Doctor had no idea how much time had passed for her; she could be days old, or centuries. Aesthetic age meant little to a Time Lord; it wouldn't be till the chameleon arch—if that's what it was—was reversed that he would be able to sense her age. He wouldn't be surprised if she had been holding a grudge against him for a long time.

The Doctor got as far as Gunnersbury Avenue before deciding to turn around and head back. He'd had his fill of being alone for one day.

Just before he turned into Number Thirteen, he noticed a woman peeking unashamedly out of Rani's front door at him. As she saw him see her, she gave a little wave as well. He sent one back, hesitantly, and Rani appeared dragging who was presumably her mother back indoors, smiled apologetically in his direction and shut the door.

The Doctor chuckled.

While Sarah Jane and Luke were asleep that night, he ran the TARDIS to the moon and back, to stretch her legs and deliberately jumping a few hours to land at dawn. He didn't want to make one of his famous mistakes and disappear for months, but he also didn't want to hang around feeling useless for longer than he had to.

* * *

Sarah Jane pressed a finger on the Browns' doorbell. Her heart was beating fast; she was more nervous doing this than she had been on any other similar occasion. Perhaps because this was a lot more personal than investigating a possible invasion. She had to be careful on this one. Subtle. No coming out with blunt questions, like 'what planet are you from'.

The door was opened, and who Sarah Jane presumed was Mrs Brown looked out. "Can I help you?"

At least she didn't recognise her from the police station. "Yes. My name's Janet Whately, I'm considering moving into Number Twenty-Nine."

"The one with the blue garage door?"

"Yes, that's the one. Anyway, I like to be very thorough before I commit, so I was hoping to have a chat with potential neighbours, suss out what the area's like. Do you mind?"

"I—well, I suppose not. Come in."

"Thank you."

Piece of cake.

**TBC …**


	4. Average

**Chapter Four: Average**

"Alice Brown," Jenny's mother said, shaking Sarah Jane's hand quite firmly. "Will you have a cuppa?"

"Oh, yes thank you. I hope I'm not interrupting at a bad moment."

"No, not at all."

She followed Mrs Brown down the hall into the kitchen, making a show of looking around. "Oh, this is lovely."

"Yes, I think Twenty-Nine's slightly smaller. But it does have that lovely spiral staircase; my Jenny was always begging to go round there when she was little so she could run up and down it."

"Jenny's your daughter?" Sarah Jane tried to sound casual.

"Yes, she's fifteen."

"Any other children?"

"No, just her. But she's a handful on her own."

"Oh, I know. I have a teenager myself." Sarah Jane had been looking hard around the kitchen, and her eyes fell on a family photo on the window-sill.

It looked very unnatural to her—but then, she would have to get Mr Smith to check to know for certain; her judgement may be compromised as much as the Doctor's on this one. They all wanted Jenny to be his daughter. "This her?"

"Yes, from our holiday last year. The Brecon Beacons. Do you take milk and sugar?"

"Are your family in?" Sarah Jane asked as they sat down with mugs.

"My husband's at work, and Jenny's out with her friends. Shame, they'd have liked to have met a new neighbour."

"Well nothing's decided yet, not for final."

"Anyway, any particular questions you had or did you just want a general overview?"

"What are the schools like?" Sarah Jane asked, hoping to keep the conversation on Jenny, or as close as she could without arousing suspicion.

"The secondary schools? Well Jenny's at Hillview, it's quite good." Alice thought for a moment. "She hasn't been there that long, so I'm not sure if I'm the best person to judge …"

"How long?"

"Six months. We haven't had any trouble. There were a few instances last year apparently of drugs on the premises, but it seems to have been dealt with. Jenny's a sensible girl, very honest, she says there hasn't been a problem since they expelled that kid with the bike. We've taken that to mean they're a pretty efficient school."

"Sounds like it."

"Well I know no school is perfect, but the head at this one seems to have her head screwed on right, if you know what I mean."

Sarah Jane laughed. "I do."

"Anything else?"

"Any problems with neighbours? Please be honest, I won't repeat anything."

"Well, the Johnsons are a bit weird. But as long as you don't park across their drive or neglect to pass on their mail if it gets put through your door, they're reasonable people. Just don't bring up the subject of dog walkers, they'll talk your ears off."

"What about crime in the area?"

Mrs Brown hesitated. "You could get stats, couldn't you?"

"Well I prefer the more personal approach, stats can reflect almost anything the person collecting them wants. Also why I take things like exam results with a pinch of salt."

"You're a very cynical woman."

"So I've been told."

"Well, it's not bad round here at all. No burglaries or anything that I know of, though like I said we haven't been here that long. Although …"

"What?"

"We did have someone break into our house the other night. Scared my daughter out of her wits. Bastard."

"You mean a burglar?"

"Don't think so. He broke into her bedroom."

"Is she all right?" Sarah Jane tried to sound alarmed.

"Yeah, he didn't hurt her. Didn't get a chance." Alice sighed. "If I ever get my hands on him …"

Sarah Jane continued the conversation, for appearances asking her about transport and local facilities, and when she felt she'd covered everything, she asked to use the toilet.

"Upstairs, first on the right," Mrs Brown answered.

"You don't mind if I have a little nose around, do you? I'm curious to see how similar the houses are."

Mrs Brown chuckled. "Knock yourself out."

"Thank you."

Once she was upstairs and safely out of Mrs Brown's vision range, she opened her watch and stared scanning.

That was odd. She shook it. The watch was telling her there was only one person in the house.

"But she's there, downstairs," she whispered at it. "What is she? Human? Something else?"

It didn't change; no-one besides Sarah Jane in the house. Sarah Jane sighed and increased the scan to look for anything alien, living or otherwise.

This time, it detected something: some kind of technology, but couldn't identify what. Whatever it was, it was downstairs—the upstairs was clean, she triple-checked.

She ventured cautiously into Jenny's bedroom and had a quick poke around. Clothes, makeup, school books, a sketchbook and pencils, pop star posters … a very average teenage bedroom, as far as she could see. A few books … an anthology of poetry—

Sarah Jane opened it up, revealing the leaflet that had been inserted as a bookmark. The front image was an artist's impression of some planet. Making a quick note of the details, Sarah Jane replaced it and continued her scour round.

Afterwards she had a quick look around downstairs, but couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. It was a very average house belonging to what appeared to be a very average family.

She thanked Alice Brown for the tea and her time, and then was about to leave when she spotted something by the door that she'd missed.

A business card. _Strazer & Loukem_.

When the phone rang, the Doctor knocked it off the table in his hurry to pick up. "Sarah Jane? What's going on? Found anything?"

"I'm not sure," was the reply.

"What do you mean?"

"I think there's something odd in that house but I couldn't pin it down. I'm sorry, it's not proof she is Jenny."

He slumped.

"But …"

"But?"

"You know those lawyers who called?"

"No," the Doctor said blankly.

"Strazer and something, they called offering to be your defence in the case against the Browns. Well, the Browns had their details as well, and apparently they're the prosecution."

"But—they can't be both."

"Exactly. Something's fishy. Shall I go to their office, or would you like to do that?"

"I'll do it!" He jumped to his feet. "I want to do something, sitting still is driving me insane."

She laughed. "I thought so. I'll go through my other findings with the kids, and then we'll compare notes together."

"Great. Where's the address?"

When Sarah Jane got home, she Googled the words from the leaflet with Luke looking eagerly over her shoulder. They both looked around as the Doctor entered the attic. "Anything on the lawyers?" Luke asked.

"I had a discreet poke around, did some scanning, didn't pick up anything." The Doctor flopped into a chair. "Wondered if you lot had got anywhere here."

"Not yet. But I found a leaflet for this in Jenny's room." Sarah Jane pointed at the screen.

The Doctor leaned forward. "A poetry club?"

"Look closer."

He did, and his eyes widened. "A science fiction poetry club?"

"Rani likes poetry," Luke said thoughtfully. "And let's face it, we all live science fiction. She might be able to go and blend in."

"Sounds like a plan of action to me," the Doctor said, sounding slightly more cheerful. "One flaw though."

"What's that, Doctor?"

"I still have nothing to do."

**TBC …**


	5. Space

**AN:** I wrote Jenny's poem. PLEASE do not steal.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Space**

Rani felt very self-conscious. She'd tried to blend in places to spy before, but this felt different. Like there was more at stake if she failed. Maybe there wasn't _more_ at stake, but what was at stake this time was more personal.

She was as prepared as she could be, she thought. She'd thoroughly combed the club website, and read all the members' poems that were posted there, as well as thoroughly researched the genre so as to be able to sound like she knew something of what she was talking about. She had even gone armed with a mental list of the poems she'd particularly enjoyed.

The club meeting began with notices. Rani only half-listened, trying to spot the girl from the photograph in the audience. There! A blonde ponytail in the front corner. The owner turned her head to whisper something to her neighbour, and Rani was convinced—that was Jenny.

Target acquired, she thought to herself with a mental laugh. Locking on.

She kept her eyes on Jenny while the notices finished, and listened through the talks, thinking she'd be wise to pay attention. Finally, poetry readings were announced.

After the first poem had finished, everyone politely clapped and then Rani's eyes were caught by Jenny standing up. She was reading too.

She looked a little nervous, and began reading from a small notebook. After the first couple of lines her voice grew stronger and the hesitancy disappeared. Rani, captivated by the words, found her mouth was hanging open slightly in the most undignified manner and hurriedly closed it.

"_Leaving Space_

_A world passes on  
At a hand not its time;  
Shadow wreathes the great sky-ball,  
Silver leaves to rust in the fire  
Leaving ash in the heavens,  
As a planet, engulphed,  
Sings its final song._"

Jenny's poem was met with a more enthusiastic applause, and her cheeks went pink. Rani kept her eye on the girl as she made her way to her seat, counting the minutes till she could catch her.

After the fourth reading, the meeting broke up into social. Rani tried to make a beeline for Jenny without appearing to do so, and managed to catch her as she finished a discussion with the main speaker.

"Hi," she said.

"Er, hi."

"I just wanted to say, I thought your poem was amazing." Rani wasn't lying either.

"Really? Thank you," Jenny replied, blushing again. "Um, are you new? I don't think I've seen you before."

"Yeah, this is my first time. I'm Rani."

"Jenny."

"Nice to meet you. So have you been coming here long?"

"Just a couple of months."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Are you a poet?"

"Right now, strictly reader," Rani said quickly. "But I'd love to branch out, and you seem a good person to ask for tips."

Jenny laughed. "Wow, no, there's loads of people here far more experienced than me. I'm pretty much a newbie."

"Didn't sound like it, out there."

She blushed harder. "Well, I am. You could ask David, or Lily, they're probably the most experienced …"

"Well, I also thought—might be easier to ask you, since we're kinda the same age," Rani said.

Jenny giggled. "Okay, I understand that. Don't want to ask the oldies for help." She dropped her voice on the 'oldies'.

"Yep," Rani said with a small laugh.

"Okay then. Want to go and get a milkshake?"

* * *

"Doctor?"

Sarah Jane entered the attic, where he was playing with her alien equipment. "Doctor, please be careful with that stuff."

"What, don't you trust me?" he said, sounding hurt. "Anyway, what did you want?"

"Rani rang."

He half-dropped the gerfabrilator. "How's it going?"

"Quite well, she says they're bonding nicely over milkshakes. Jenny's even invited her back to her house."

"Brilliant." The Doctor paused thoughtfully. "How long do you reckon before we know?"

"Doctor, I admit it does look hopeful, but it might be a while still."

"Please don't tell me to be patient," he muttered. "I hate it."

"Being patient or being told to be patient?"

"Both."

"I'm not. Try and take your mind off it."

"Why do you think I'm up here? By the way, did you know you've got a deactivated bomb in this lot?"

* * *

"Hey, what's this one?"

Rani and Jenny had developed a firm friendship very quickly, which Rani was extremely grateful for. They'd begun talking about science fiction poetry over chocolate and banana milkshakes, moved onto mainstream poetry, and from there moved to school and boys and music and all sorts of everyday things. Rani was quite enjoying herself. By the time they arrived at the Browns' house, the conversation had moved back to poetry, and Rani had found out that Jenny also painted.

"It looks like your poem, the one you read out," Rani said.

Jenny had taken out a few paintings to show her new friend, all of very alien-looking landscapes. The one Rani was holding looked like a great fireball, but the picture was fractured, the painting showing different places and closer perspectives.

"It is. Sort of. The poem's based on the painting," Jenny replied.

"It's amazing."

"Thanks."

"I wish I could paint like this," Rani said wistfully. "I'm not much good at Art class; my stuff's usually impossible to understand what it is. Where do you get your inspiration?"

"Dreams, mostly."

"Including this one?"

"Yeah … that's an odd one," Jenny said, slower. "It's been a recurring nightmare for a while, and I thought, I wanted to turn it into something beautiful. Although I ended up turning it into two things."

"Both beautiful."

"Thank you."

* * *

The days dragged by. The Doctor understood that it was important to gain Jenny's trust, he really did, but the wait was driving him insane. As the one who usually did the infiltrating, he was finding it difficult to leave the whole thing to Rani, as much as he liked and respected her.

But if she didn't find something solid soon, he wouldn't be able to stop himself doing something stupid, he was sure of it.

"For goodness' sake, Doctor." Sarah Jane sounded unusually cross with him. He couldn't remember many instances of that before. "I know this is hard, but—"

"Sarah Jane, I can't keep waiting. I need to _do_ something."

"Have you tried asking Mr Smith to find something for you to investigate?" Sarah Jane suggested. By 'you to investigate', what she really meant was 'us to investigate', as right at that moment she wasn't sure she trusted the Doctor to stay focused.

"Yes, and he said he hadn't picked up on anything lately." The Doctor was pacing Sarah Jane's living-room, hands in pockets. "All the aliens that try and invade this planet all the time, and they choose _now_ to take a break?"

"Stop pacing, you're going to wear all my carpets out. Why don't you try the lawyers again?"

He paused. "I couldn't detect anything unusual last time, didn't get anywhere."

"Well don't give up." Sarah Jane shook her head in exasperation. "Go back and find something, Doctor. Even if there's nothing unusual going on, ruling it out will kill some time, won't it?"

The Doctor shuffled his feet, looking down at the ground. "All right, fine. But I'm going in properly this time." Sod subtle. This was his daughter.

**TBC …**


	6. Espionage

**Chapter Six: Espionage**

The offices at Strazer and Loukum seemed very … human. The Doctor stood the other side of the street, watching people in suits coming and going. He'd scanned the place again, but couldn't pick up anything odd. Either the law firm was innocent and the exchange of details had simply been an error in communication somewhere, or whatever was going on was being hidden extraordinarily well.

Oh well. He wasn't going to find out by standing out here. He braced himself and strode into the glass and chrome lobby.

"Hello," he said to the receptionist, as politely as he could muster; after all, she was probably not personally involved. "I want to speak to the person in charge."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Just tell them the Doctor's here to see them," he said clearly.

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor, please."

"Just a moment, please." She picked up the phone and dialled an extension. "Mr Strazer, there's someone to see you. He says he's called the Doctor." After a moment she frowned. "Erm, no, it's just him." After a moment she took the phone away from her ear. "What do you wish to see him about?"

"To ask why Strazer and Loukum have offered to work both for and against me," the Doctor said.

She relayed this. "Erm, I'm sorry, sir, Mr Strazer—er—is very busy and can't see you—"

"Now look here," the Doctor said, leaning on the desk and fixing her with his best I'm-a-Time-Lord-and-can-do-very-scary-things-stare . "I realise you're just the messenger and I don't want to get you into trouble here. But either you make me an appointment with him or I will find a way in myself. Tell your boss exactly this: I am the Doctor and I am not leaving until he has seen me."

The receptionist repeated the message with trembling hands, paused, nodded, and then put the phone down.

"M-Mr Strazer is busy all day, b-but," she added hastily as the Doctor's frown deepened, "Mr Loukum will be free in twenty minutes, if you'd be so good to wait."

He considered. If the men were partners, this was probably not a bad compromise. "Fine."

She looked relieved as he settled in the waiting area and stared flicking through brochures.

Everything looked ordinary. But everything did not feel ordinary—then again, whether that was down to his own paranoia, was uncertain.

He phoned Sarah Jane. "I've got an appointment with Mr Loukum in fifteen minutes," he said quietly. "How are things looking back there?"

"Rani's over there now, hasn't been in touch in a while," Sarah Jane replied. "What are you going to say to the lawyer when you meet him?"

"Haven't decided yet," the Doctor replied. "I'm improvising."

"Be careful."

"I will."

* * *

"Argh, I think my brain's about to explode," Rani said, stretching. "Can we do something else for a while?"

"'Course. You're the guest, you choose."

Rani made a show of thinking, but inwardly whooped—this was the moment she'd been waiting for.

Between them they half-emptied Jenny's wardrobe of all her best clothes, and began going through them.

"Wow. I like this one," Rani said, holding out a sequined vest-top. "Where did you get this?"

"It was a Christmas present. Hey …" Jenny paused. "I didn't really figure you for the clothes-and-makeup sort."

"Well I spend most of my time round my best friends, who are both boys. They're great, but from time to time I miss being girly." They both giggled.

"Can't say I'm really ultra-girly either, but … I have to admit, it can be fun sometimes. Hey Rani, you should try this one, it'll look amazing on you."

"Okay, only if you show me the sparkly one."

"Deal!" They swapped clothes. "Um—I'm a bit rusty at this—should one of us go—"

Alarmed, Rani shook her head. "Nah, we're all girls here. It's not like we're stripping off our underwear."

"Good point. It's just that, I think I was nine the last time I dressed up … feels like a long time ago anyway."

"I probably was too, don't worry." Rani started undressing, careful to keep Jenny in the corner of her eye. As Jenny pulled off her t-shirt, Rani's heart skipped a beat.

No navel. There it was, the proof in black and white. This really was the Doctor's daughter.

The question was, what did she do now?

Jenny didn't seem to notice what Rani had, and after a few outfit swapping they moved onto hair and makeup. Rani offered to do Jenny first, and as she brushed the blonde fringe back, inspiration struck.

"You don't have pierced ears?"

Jenny fingered a lobe half-heartedly. "No. I have a few clip-ons, don't wear them much though."

"How come you never got them pierced?"

"No particular reason, I don't think. I begged my parents when I was seven and they said I was too young. Then a couple of years later a friend got hers done, and they got infected, which put me off for a while. I'm less squeamish now, and I'd like to get them done, I guess I just haven't got round tot it. Is it very painful?"

"Nah. I was told, pinch the back of your hand, and it's about that, maybe a tiny bit more, but it only lasts a moment. Have you ever considered getting anything else pierced?"

"Like what?"

Rani shrugged. "Nose? Navel?"

Jenny laughed. "I don't fancy the nose, somehow. Knowing my luck I'd get a cold right after it was done." Rani laughed.

"What about your bellybutton?"

"Dunno. Haven't really thought about it. Could look a bit tacky, don't you think?"

"I think there's clip-on navel rings as well," Rani suggested, "you could see how it looks before you got it done."

"Do you have anything pierced? Besides your ears."

"No, my dad would never let me. He's a headteacher, so … What's your dad like? Is he mega-strict?"

"Only sometimes. He's a big believer in curfews and groundings, but as long as I abide by whatever rules he's laid down then he's a big softie. Mum's much the same."

Rani bit her lip, grateful Jenny couldn't see. How to break it to a girl that her parents were fake?

* * *

"Doctor? Mr Loukum will see you now."

The Doctor put the brochure aside and made his way up to the directed office, knocked firmly on the door and opened it without waiting for an 'enter'.

A smartly-dressed man stood in the office, smiling insincerely. "Ah, Mr Doctor." He extended a hand.

"Just Doctor," the Doctor said, not taking it.

Mr Loukum lowered his hand. "Doctor. Do come in, sit down." As the Doctor did so, Loukum continued, "Now, what can my associates and I do for you?"

"I understand you offered to represent me in court. Though you probably have me down in the system as John Smith." Mr Loukum said nothing, just looked at him expectantly, so he continued. "Though it's come to my attention that you are also acting as the prosecution. In the same case."

"Let's not beat around the bush, Doctor. You and I both know that's not why you're really here."

The Doctor was caught off-guard at that one. "I beg your pardon?"

"My associate Mr Strazer has informed me that you believe we are involved in some, shall we say, shady doings."

"Well then he's admitted his own involvement," the Doctor said, straightening up. "Because he wouldn't know if he was innocent."

Mr Loukum chuckled. "If you're here for answers, Doctor, then you're in the right place."

"What?"

"Work out who the Browns are." Loukum opened the door again. The Doctor didn't move.

"I want to know what Strazer has done to my daughter and I want it fixed!"

"All in good time, Doctor. I understand this is difficult for you. But we're not the enemy. We want the same things here."

"Do we? And what are they?"

"Well, to bring your daughter back, of course."

"So …" His breath caught in his throat. "She really is my Jenny."

"Yes."

The admittance made his head spin. "Why. Tell me why."

"Like I said Doctor, all in good time. Would you like my assistant to show you out?"

"No," the Doctor said quietly. "I think I can remember the way, thanks."

**TBC …**


	7. Smooth

**Chapter Seven: Smooth**

"It's her," the Doctor announced as he walked through the front door. "I was right."

Sarah Jane closed the door for him; he was too worked up to think of small things like that. "How do you know?"

"Loukum admitted it. But he wouldn't tell me why. 'All in good time, Doctor'," he muttered. "I'll all in good time him when I get to the bottom of this."

"Doctor," Sarah Jane said gently.

The phone rang. The Doctor groaned and flopped onto the sofa. "You get it."

"Please," Sarah Jane gently chastised him as she picked it up. "Hello?" There was a pause. "How did you find out?"

The Doctor looked up, hope stirring in him despite his best efforts. "Sarah Jane?"

"Hold on, I'm putting you on speaker-phone, say it again in a moment." Sarah Jane took the phone away from her ear and pressed the button."

It was Rani. "Jenny has no navel," she said. "I saw it when she changed her clothes. There's your proof, Doctor."

"Thank you, Rani," he said quietly.

"There's something more weird, though, cause she doesn't seem to realise. That she hasn't got one, I mean."

"Must be a perception filter," the Doctor said. "It can be broken, if you draw her attention to it, _make_ her see."

"Right. She'll take that well."

"I think it's the best chance of convincing her," Sarah Jane said. "If we just go barging into her life talking about aliens and biological rewrites, she'll think we're all insane. We need solid proof that she's not who she thinks she is, and that's all we have."

"So … should I tell her now?"

"Do you think she trusts you, Rani?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she does."

Sarah Jane and the Doctor looked at each other, and a silent agreement was made. "Then do it."

"Sarah Jane?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to need something …"

* * *

Sarah Jane held up a small bag. "I had to go to five different jewellery stores to find these. So I really hope this works, Rani."

"It will. Trust me."

"Are you two alone?"

"Yeah, the Browns are out. It's now or never."

Sarah Jane nodded. "Good luck."

Rani went back upstairs, where Jenny was tidying away her makeup. "Where'd you go?"

"Guess what I have." Rani waved the bag.

"I dunno, what?"

"You're supposed to guess," Rani said, and opened it. Jenny's eyes widened.

"What—"

"Relax, they're clip-ons. You wanted to see what it looked like, right? Come on, there's two, we'll both try."

"Thought you said your dad would never let you get a real one?" Jenny said, taking the pack of navel rings and splitting the plastic.

"Doesn't mean I can't pretend. So, do you want the gold or the silver?"

"Um, silver."

"Good, 'cos I like the gold."

They both giggled. Rani could hardly breathe as Jenny passed her the gold navel ring. "On three?"

"One," Rani said.

"Two …"

"Three!"

Jenny looked down on three, lifting her top, and Rani let the hand holding her ring drop to her side. Jenny blinked slowly, frowning, as if dazed, and placed a couple of fingers on the smooth skin where her navel should be. Rani could see her struggle to process what she was seeing, as if there was some invisible barrier.

It broke.

"What—" Jenny gasped, poking herself more firmly, and looking up at Rani, shock and confusion on her face. "That's—that's impossible—"

Rani found herself speechless for the first time, as her friend looked back down, and up again, and down … "What—I—I don't—"

Rani found her voice. "I'm sorry," she said gently.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Jenny's voice rose higher with each word.

"I noticed earlier, when you were changing."

"So you knew … I don't understand!"

"Jenny, look at me." Rani dropped her ring and took Jenny firmly by the shoulders. "I know this doesn't make sense now, but I have friends who have answers, okay? Just—you're not breathing. Keep breathing."

Jenny inhaled shakily.

"Better?"

"N-no. I don't understand … how can I not have … how? I've always had …"

"Jenny—this isn't going to make much sense to you, and I'm really sorry I have to say this, but you have always been like this."

"But I remember—"

"Your memories are wrong."

There was a long silence. "Who are you?" Jenny whispered, taking a step backwards. "I thought you were my friend."

"I _am_ your friend, I promise."

"Oh, yeah? Really? Then what's all _this_ about?"

"I'm not going to deny I sought you out," Rani admitted. "I knew who you were when we met. Better than you do."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"This is going to be hard for you to hear."

"Hard_er?_"

"It's not just about your navel. That was a way to prove to you what I'm saying is true."

Jenny's frown deepened. "And what are you saying?"

"That you're not who you think you are. You're not Jenny Brown. Your memories have been altered."

"Altered? How? By who?"

"Um, not too certain on that front yet. But I know who you really are."

"All right, I'll humour you. Who am I?"

"Your name's Jenny. I'm … actually not sure what your surname is. And your—your dad has been going out of his mind trying to find out what happened to you."

"My dad hasn't—"

"Jenny, Mr Brown isn't your dad. Mrs Brown isn't your mum. I know your real father, he's an old friend of my best friend's mum."

Rani waited. Jenny was struggling to process, which wasn't surprising. "So, basically what you're saying is … I'm adopted."

"Well …"

"Never mind the memory thing, Rani, this is too much on its own!"

The conversation was interrupted by a sound. It wasn't an extraordinary sound, or a particularly loud one, but they both stopped and stared at the window. Rani's heart started pumping double-speed.

It was the sound of a car in the drive.

"Uh oh," Rani muttered. That wasn't good timing. She'd messed up; she should have taken Jenny somewhere her 'parents' wouldn't show up before Jenny could process everything.

"That'll be them." Jenny went to walk out the room. Rani caught her arm.

"Jenny, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to ask them if what you're saying is true."

"But you can't—"

"And why not?"

"Jenny, I'm begging you, please."

"Rani, they're my parents!"

"No they're not! Please, Jenny, that's the memories talking, they're not real. For all we know they're the ones that altered your memories in the first place, and if they didn't then they still probably know who did. You can't trust them."

"What part of _they're my parents_ are you not getting?" Jenny wrenched her arm out of Rani's grip and ran down the stairs.

"Jenny—no!"

Rani raced down the stairs after her, cursing the bad timing and scolding herself for bad execution. Mr and Mrs Brown entered the front door just as Jenny landed in the hall.

"Mum, Dad," she said.

"Jenny, don't—"

"Am I adopted?"

Rani closed her eyes in horror and swore under her breath.

Mr and Mrs Brown looked at each other in confusion. "Of course you're not, honey, you know we'd have told you if you were. Where's this coming from?"

"Rani says I am."

Oh for goodness sake. For the daughter of a genius she wasn't half acting stupid.

Mr Brown turned to Rani, angry. "What kind of thing is that to say? Get out my house!"

"Look, Mr Brown, I—" Rani had no idea what she was going to say, whether she was going to tell him it was a joke or what, but Jenny interrupted.

"So why don't I have a navel?"

**TBC …**


	8. Solace

**Chapter Eight: Solace**

This time the silence was palpable. "Jenny, what are you talking about?"

"How could you not know? I'm talking about this!" Jenny lifted her t-shirt to reveal her smooth skin.

"Don't be silly Jenny, it's right there."

"No it's not! Look!"

Both parents stared. Rani frowned. This wasn't like the perception filter on Jenny, this was a total illusion. "Jenny, I see—" Mr Brown's head jerked suddenly, the word 'see' coming out jilted. "Honey, how about an omelette?"

"What?" Jenny said in disbelief.

"Arnold, what—" Mrs Brown began, but then the same happened to her. "Why don't we all go to the beach, we haven't done that in ages."

"Mum? Dad?" Jenny whispered, stepping forward, but hesitantly.

Rani stepped forward, took Jenny's arm and gently pulled her backwards. "Jenny, I think you should get back."

"Don't be stupid, they're my parents!"

"Jenny—"

"Jenny," Mr Brown said. "Honey, sweetheart—time—time—" he jerked more, and a spark flew across his face.

Jenny gasped, and then screamed as he keeled over completely, followed almost immediately by Mrs Brown, falling stiffly. Her face continued to spark, and her voice continued, although her face was no longer moving. "Jen—Jen—Jen—Jen—"

"M-Mum? D-Dad?"

They both fell silent, the sparks died. Rani slowly kneeled down, took hold of one of Mrs Brown's hands and pulled.

"Rani! What are you—"

It broke free in a mass of wires. Jenny's legs gave way and she collapsed on the floor.

"Jenny?" Rani dropped the hand and knelt down beside her. "I'm sorry."

"Wh-what are they?"

"Androids," Rani said. "I'm sorry, I had no idea."

"So they're not—they weren't—"

"They weren't your parents, Jenny."

"But they w-were," she said with a sob, putting her hands to her face. "Th-they were my m-mum and –d-daddy!"

Rani pulled her into a hug as Jenny began sobbing openly. "Jenny, I am so, so sorry," she whispered. She allowed her a few minutes before gently pulling away. "But I think we should get out of here."

"Wh-why?

"Because I don't know exactly what's going on, and till we do you're better off somewhere safer."

"G-g-great," Jenny hiccupped. "On t-top of all th-that, n-now I'm in d-dan-ger?"

"It's a definite possibility. My friend, she can find out who arranged all … this. You'll be safe at her house in the meantime."

It was a mark of how bad the day had already been, that Jenny nodded, and just said, "Okay."

* * *

"Check," the Doctor said, breaking a long silence. Sarah Jane looked up from her computer, gave a small smile at Luke's frown, and went back to her work.

They were playing brainiac chess, taking turns to ask the other a question, and if the other got it right they were allowed to move. It was made fairer by the rule the Doctor wasn't allowed to quiz Luke on anything he stood zero chance of knowing, i.e. if it was from the future. Clyde was supposed to be overseeing the fairness, but in reality Mr Smith was the one doing the checking.

The phone rang again and the chessboard was upended as the Doctor dived for it. Sarah Jane, who was closer, reached it first. The Doctor hovered impatiently as she answered.

"Sarah Jane, it's me," said Rani's voice. "Um … we're coming over."

"We?" Sarah Jane said, surprised. "Have you told her—"

"Yeah. Could you put the kettle on? I think Jenny could do with some tea."

"Of course," Sarah Jane said, and the line went dead. She replaced the phone slowly.

"Well?" the Doctor said, practically bouncing up and down in agitation.

"Rani's told Jenny, and they're both coming over here. Doctor," she said. "I realise you're very eager to see her but I think for the moment it's best if you stay out of her sight." He deflated. "If she recognises you as the man in her bedroom before we've explained everything, she might not react very well."

"I know," he mumbled. "You're right. I'll stay up here. Just—take care of her, please."

"Of course I will. Why don't you go back to your game?" she suggested, looking back at the table. Luke had picked up all the pieces and arranged the chess board in the exact positions it had been in before the phone call. She sent her son a look that said 'keep him busy'.

* * *

Jenny was unsurprisingly silent on the bus journey. Rani wasn't sure what to say. Only the Doctor could really piece it together for her, but that was going to be tricky. Jenny definitely needed time to digest what had just happened first.

"Rani," Jenny said quietly, a few stops away from Ealing.

"Yeah?"

"Back home, you said something about—about my dad. N-not Dad, some … someone else."

She nodded slowly.

"I-I have a dad? One who's not …"

"Mechanical?" Rani supplied. Jenny nodded. "Yeah, you do."

"What about my mum? My … real mum."

"Er … I think you'd better ask your dad about that, when you meet him," Rani said unsurely.

Jenny nodded slightly, but went back to staring out the window. She remained silent for the rest of the journey. Rani navigated them to the right bus stop and then a fifteen minute walk to Bannerman Road.

Sarah Jane answered the door almost immediately with her warmest smile. "Hello, you must be Jenny." Jenny just nodded. "I'm Sarah Jane. Please, do come in."

Jenny hesitated. "It's okay," Rani said. "She doesn't bite."

Jenny hovered in the living room. "Sit down," Sarah Jane encouraged her. "Would you like some tea?"

"Right, like tea will solve everything." The first thing Jenny had said since arriving, and it sounded quite bitter. She paused for a moment, thinking. "Actually, yes I would, thank you."

Sarah Jane quizzed her on milk and sugar, and went to get her a ready-brewed mug. Jenny started as there was a clatter of footfalls, and Clyde poked his head in the door.

"What are you doing down here?" Rani asked him, sending him a glare. Clyde ignored her non-verbal reminder that they were trying to make Jenny feel comfortable, not crowded by strangers, and addressed her.

"You're Jenny, right?"

"Yes," Jenny said quietly.

"Hi," he said, entering properly. "Clyde. Nice to meet you."

"_Clyde!_"

"What?" he said in an innocent tone. "I'm only being friendly."

"I thought you were refereeing the game up there."

"You're joking, right? It's like battle of the geniuses. The only word I can understand is 'check'."

"Well go and help with the tea then."

Clyde seemed to finally get the hint, and disappeared into the kitchen. Rani sighed.

"Please, don't mind him." She looked up at Jenny as Sarah Jane re-entered the room, holding two steaming mugs. "Seriously, sit down, you'll be more comfortable."

"Would someone _please _tell me what is going on," Jenny said, sitting reluctantly on the sofa.

Sarah Jane sent Rani a look. "Rani, you were meant to tell her."

"What, everything? Even the bits I don't understand myself? I would have told her more, but there was an incident involving her parents."

"What?"

"They're androids," Rani said quietly.

Sarah Jane looked from Rani to Jenny, whose head was in her hands. "Oh Jenny, I'm sorry."

"You didn't know." Jenny's voice was hollow.

"No, we didn't. We knew they weren't—weren't your real parents, but we … assumed they were people."

Jenny took her tea from Sarah Jane and gulped half of it down immediately.

"Careful, you don't want to choke."

"'Bout the only thing that could make my day worse," Jenny said darkly. "My parents aren't my parents and not even real, I can't trust my own memory, and to top it all off, I'm a freak."

Sarah Jane and Rani went to speak, but someone else got there first. "No you're not."

**TBC …**


	9. Surface

**Chapter Nine: Surface**

They all looked over to see Luke standing in the doorway.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" his mother said, looking hard at him. "I thought you were keeping—"

"He won," Luke said. "Though he cheated with a trick question. And you're not a freak," he said to Jenny.

"How would you know?"

He responded by lifting up his shirt. "Ta-da."

Jenny gasped, stood and moved nearer to make sure she was seeing correctly. "You … you're like me?"

"Sort of," he said, now starting to blush, and after a awkward pause he dropped his shirt quickly. "Not exactly. But enough to have some idea of how you feel now."

Silence fell as Jenny stared at him, her mind slowly processing; the rest of the room looked on at the teens watching each other.

Rani finally broke the silence. "Shall I go up and fill the Doctor in?"

"What Doctor?" Jenny looked up. "I don't need a Doctor." She paused. "On second thought maybe I do, I think I'm going insane."

"You're not," Sarah Jane assured her. "And he's not that sort of Doctor. He's …"

"He's your dad, Jenny," Rani said quietly.

Another long silence stretched before Jenny said, "Oh." Then, "Up as in upstairs? My d—my dad's here?"

Everyone nodded.

"I think he's the best person to explain everything, Jenny," Sarah Jane said, smiling at her. "Rani—"

"I'll go and get him." Rani turned to leave the room.

Jenny thought she heard Sarah Jane mutter, "He'll be relieved."

As Rani disappeared, Jenny thought about shouting at her to stop. She sat back down on the sofa, and for something to do, reached for her tea.

So much had changed in the last couple of hours and she wasn't sure she was ready to meet her supposed biological father, who was apparently somehow going to make sense of why she was a freak of nature, why her 'parents' were robots, and why she couldn't trust her own memory.

If anyone could make sense of that, they were as crazy as she was. Maybe.

She heard footsteps on the stairs, coming back down. Two sets of footsteps.

Jenny had almost forgotten she wasn't alone; the room was so quiet. She jumped as Sarah Jane spoke, in a hurry, as if she'd forgotten something important. "I should warn you—you've met."

One set of footsteps paused outside the door, and the other overtook them. Jenny was just opening her mouth to ask what Sarah Jane meant when the door opened, and her question was answered.

She gasped. "You!"

In the doorway stood her stalker.

As he looked at her, his eyes were full of sorrow. The lump in Jenny's throat doubled in size.

"Jenny," he whispered

She could only nod.

He stepped closer, warily, as if afraid of frightening her off. "I guess I should apologise—I must have scared you, the other night."

Jenny found her voice. "You think?"

"I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing to do, I wasn't thinking straight. I hope you can forgive me."

She didn't know what to say, and an awkward silence stretched. She barely noticed the others leave the room, so it was just the two of them.

He smiled, and she couldn't help it, a small smile appeared on her face. "You're beautiful."

She couldn't make sense of this; she'd caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and her eyes were red and puffy, and she could feel her nose running for England. She gave a tiny laugh-hiccup.

"So you're the Doctor," she said, wanting to say _something_ and at a loss what else to try. "According to Rani."

He nodded. "That's right."

"Doctor what? What's your name?"

"That is my name."

She laughed without humour. "What, that's it? That's all I get?"

"Jenny." He made to step forward and hesitated. "May I?" he said, gesturing to the sofa. She nodded.

He sat down opposite her, and she looked him in the eye again. "I've got some things to tell you that … well, they're not going to be easy for you to hear."

"Yeah, I've had a lot of that today."

"I'm not human."

The Doctor paused, apparently waiting for her reaction. Jenny didn't know _how_ to react. It was just one more bizarre thing that didn't make sense in a day of bizarre things that didn't make sense. How was she supposed to respond to that?

"Oh," she said finally.

His mouth twitched. "Do you believe me? Because if you don't, it wouldn't be the first time."

"I don't know what to believe any more," Jenny whispered.

"This might help." The Doctor dug around in his pockets and pulled out a stethoscope, gesturing for her to take it and listen.

First she listened to his heartbeat. Then she listened to his second heartbeat.

Jenny pulled the stethoscope out of her ears, studied him for a moment, then said, "How did this fit in there?"

He did a double-take. "Sorry?"

"Your pocket looked flat before you took this out; how does that work?"

He stared at her for a long moment, and Jenny wondered if she'd said something wrong, before he burst out laughing.

Jenny was torn between feeling embarrassed and offended, but she was struggling not to smile—his laugh was infectious. "What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry," he said, wiping his eyes, and still with a giggle in his tone. "You're the first person to discover I have two hearts but choose to comment instead on my dimensionally transcendental pockets."

"Dimen—what?"

"They're bigger on the inside." His face split into a grin, but she didn't see the joke.

"So …" Jenny wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, but had to ask anyway. "If you're not human, what are you?"

The humour, gone, he said seriously, "I'm a Time Lord."

"_Time Lord?_" She _had_ to be hearing things. But he nodded.

"I was born on the planet Gallifrey in the Kastaborous system."

"Oh," Jenny said.

"'The Doctor' really is my name," he said with a small smile. "In my culture we got to choose our own names; that was what I chose. Though in these parts I've been known to go by John Smith."

"So … I'm not human? I'm an alien?" As if the day could get any stranger.

He hesitated. "Yes and no."

"What's that mean?"

"It's complicated—I'm going to have to tell you a story, Jenny; please bear with me." She nodded. He pulled a silver marked fob watch out of his pocket. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"

"No."

"Any of the patterns before? I need you to think really hard, sweetheart, really hard."

She searched her mind as best she could, and shook her head. He was visibly disappointed, but tried not to show it. "Right. Well … never mind, we'll figure it out."

"Figure what out?"

"A couple of years ago," the Doctor said, "I was being chased by some … rather nasty aliens that could trace Time Lords. This piece of technology enabled me to hide from them, by rewriting my biology. I temporarily became human."

Jenny nodded, unable to see where this was going but encouraging anyway.

"While I was human, I believed I was. I had human memories and no idea of who I really was." He paused as this statement sunk in.

Jenny finally found her voice. "Are you saying that's what's happened to me?"

He nodded. "I'm not certain on the how. Or the who. Or the why. But yes, that is what has happened to you."

"And my—parents?"

He hesitated. "Placed in your life to keep your cover. I'm sorry," he said in a softer voice. "I realise they were real to you."

She nodded, unable to trust herself to speak. The Doctor waited patiently, brushing the watch lightly with his thumb, as she processed what he was telling her, and then found her voice.

"Why would I do this to myself?"

"I don't believe you did."

"Well then, who?"

The Doctor sighed. "I don't know, but I'm afraid it's my fault."

"Why?"

"I've protected Earth from many would-be invaders over the years. That job earns one a lot of enemies. And it doesn't take a genius—which I am, by the way—" She smiled slightly "to realise that my daughter would be my Achilles heel."

Jenny's mind was whirling. "Look," the Doctor said. "I realise you've probably got hundreds more questions. But let's be honest, do you think you can handle any more revelations today?"

"No, probably not," she admitted.

"Then I suggest a good night's sleep right here, and we'll talk more tomorrow. Agreed?"

Jenny looked into her father's eyes, and saw tender concern. She nodded. "Yeah."

**TBC …**


	10. Beginning

**Chapter Ten: Beginning**

Jenny slept badly, which wasn't surprising. Every time she closed her eyes she saw her parents keeling over, short-circuiting. Memories of her life kept whirling in her mind, and with every second of them she wondered what was real. Was all of it fake, or had the Browns simply been inserted in the place of her real father?

And what of him? She couldn't make him out. He was like no-one she'd ever met—that she could recall anyhow. That would make sense, if he really wasn't from Earth, which she was beginning to accept. But there were still so many question marks over her own life, her memories, her very existence—she couldn't shut her mind down, it was too chaotic.

Eventually, in the very early hours, she sat up and decided to venture downstairs. Sarah Jane had made up a guest room for her, with the promise that she would be safer there than at her old home. Jenny was grateful, but lying alone in the dark with insomnia was torture. She needed a distraction. Maybe she could find a book, or watch the telly quietly.

As she slipped out of bed, she heard a creak from the ceiling above her. Remembering someone had mentioned an attic, she decided to see who was up this late, and if they would be in a mood to talk.

She made her way up the stairs, not hearing any other signs of life, and into the attic room.

The first thing she saw was a huge blue wooden box in the middle. It had the words _Police Public Call Box_ on the top and there were windows in it. Looking around, she saw a whole cluster of various knick-knacks that were alien to her—perhaps quite literally. She walked around the box in curiosity, and found the door was open. Sounds were coming from inside.

"Hello?"

Something was dropped, and there was the sound of footsteps before the Doctor appeared in the entrance. "Jenny! You're up late. Are you all right?"

"Couldn't sleep," she replied. "And you're up late too."

"Nah, don't sleep much, me. Won't need a full night for at least a couple of days." He paused. "Wanna take a look inside?"

"What is it?"

"It's my ship. And yours too," he added as an afterthought.

"Might it help me remember?"

"I doubt it, you've never seen it before. Never had the chance to show you." He sounded sad, but before she could enquire further, he shook it off, smiled at her and stood to one side to allow her entrance.

"Oh," Jenny said as she saw inside. "Wow. That's … incredible." If there had been any doubts about her extra-terrestrial origins, they vanished the moment she took in the ship. "It's beautiful." After the initial shock had worn off, she raced around the console, giggling and taking in every detail.

"I'm glad you like her." If she wasn't much mistaken, something like pride was shining in the Doctor's eyes as he watched her.

"So spaceships are called she, are they?"

"Well, this one is. She's called the TARDIS. And she's sentient. Say hello."

"Er … hello, TARDIS," Jenny said unsurely.

The Doctor chuckled. "She won't answer back. Her methods of communication are much more subtle than that. But I think she likes you."

"How can you tell?"

"Telepathic connection; I can feel it. Besides, she's loyal, she likes anyone I do."

Jenny spotted a doorway. "There more! Can I explore?"

He grinned and nodded.

She wasn't expecting him to follow her, and he didn't. She took the first right and found herself in a large kitchen, lined with cupboards and a huge walk-in freezer. She was sure it was bigger than the entire of the Browns' lower floor, and left quickly before she could continue comparing. She continued on in a straight line, passing several doors, and picked a random one.

This time, she was in a bedroom, huge and decorative. It was empty of personal belongings save for a few cardboard boxes on the bed. One was labelled 'photos', one 'souvenirs', and the other 'gifts'.

Curious, Jenny opened up the 'souvenirs' box, and saw a mass of unidentifiable knick-knacks. A warning shiver told her it might not be a good idea to play with them, and she closed the box before leaving the room.

She wandered further, discovering a swimming pool, a garden and a crazy golf course, but as she realised what a maze the corridors were, she started worrying about finding her way back. As much as she wanted to kill time, she didn't want to get lost. She'd just decided to try and find her way back and turned round, and found herself back where she started, staring at the Doctor in surprise from the console room doorway.

He smiled at her. "Found her homing passages useful, eh?"

"How …?"

"Same way you could fit a city in here. Dimensionally transcendental." He patted one of the coral structures fondly. "So, finished exploring?"

They left the TARDIS went into the kitchen and the Doctor made them both tea. "Are you sure you want to talk about all this now? I don't want to give you information overload."

"It's better than lying awake wondering. I need answers, Doctor."

He flinched slightly, as if unprepared for her use of his name. She felt slightly bad, but was resolute—she wasn't ready to call him 'Dad' just yet.

They talked. The Doctor told her about his home world, and that it was gone now, although he clammed up on the how. He told her of the war on Messanine and how she'd been born. He told her how they'd separated.

Knowing she'd been grown as a soldier wasn't doing much for Jenny's self-image, but she appreciated his honesty—he could just have easily left that part out or lied altogether. But he knew she needed the truth, and she was grateful, although accepting it was another matter.

After a while the conversation petered out. The Doctor seemed reluctant to overdo the detail, and Jenny was turning the information over in her head, wishing she had the memories to go with it—all right, maybe not the one of getting shot, that had to have hurt—but the rest.

They sat in companionable silence. Jenny even dozed off in her chair at one point, but woke again quite quickly as it wasn't very comfortable. The Doctor asked her if she wanted to go back to bed, and she shook her head.

"Not ready."

He just nodded understandingly, and offered her a hot chocolate.

As he rummaged through Sarah Jane's cupboards trying to find the cocoa, Jenny's eye fell on a post-it pad by the phone, and with nothing better to do she read through the contents: _Strazer & Loukem, Criminal defence_, followed by a local address and phone number.

She read through a few other things, then came back to the post-it. Those were interesting names, she thought.

Then she smiled. "That's funny."

"What's funny?" the Doctor asked.

"These names. I'm good with anagrams."

"What anagram?"

Jenny picked up a pen and started rearranging the letters, lightly crossing off each as she placed it, then handed the pad to the Doctor after he'd set down two mugs. "You'd think it was deliberate."

His eyes widened as they fell on the pad, which now read, _MASTER RULEZ OK_.

**TBC …**


	11. Confrontation

**Chapter Eleven: Confrontation**

"I don't understand," Jenny said, following the Doctor into the hallway. "Where are you going?"

"The Master," the Doctor said, pulling on his coat, "is a Time Lord. A very dangerous one."

"But—I thought you said they were all dead."

"He survived the war, and was killed later. But it wouldn't be the first time he's come back to life. He's a Time Lord; he could easily have pulled this off. It fits. I'm going to find him and find out what he wants."

"What makes you think he wants something?"

"If he wanted to stay hidden he wouldn't have drawn my attention to his fake law firm at all," the Doctor replied, pausing with his hand on the door. "He wants something, trust me."

Movement upstairs told them they'd woken their hosts, and after a moment Sarah Jane and Luke appeared. "What's going on?" Luke asked, rubbing his eyes.

"The Doctor's figured out who's behind this," Jenny said before her father could answer.

"Really?" Sarah Jane said, surprised. "Who?"

"The Master."

Luke didn't react, but Sarah Jane went pale and gasped. "Isn't he dead?"

"Apparently not anymore. Sarah Jane, please keep Jenny safe till I'm back." The Doctor opened the door.

"Hold on!" Jenny ducked under his arm and stood resolutely in front of him. "I'm coming with you."

"You are _not!_" It was the firmest and most parental instruction he'd ever given her.

"Why?"

"Because the Master is the most dangerous man you have ever or will ever meet, and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"But if he's planned this, maybe his plan is to come after me while you're out looking for him. In which case, aren't I a sitting duck? You're a Time Lord, you two are on an even footing, which makes me safer with you."

He stared at her, and suddenly grinned. "Should have known you could still out-debate me." She flushed with pleasure. "All right. But you stay_ right_ by my side, don't talk to him, and do _everything_ I say without question, got it?"

Jenny nodded. "Yes."

"Doctor," Sarah Jane said from the hallway. "Shouldn't I come with you?"

"No, you stay here Sarah. Best not put any more people in danger than necessary. If neither me nor Jenny are here, he's less likely to come here."

* * *

The Master's law firm offices were, like everything else, mostly dark as it was three in the morning. However the foyer was still lit with security lights, and then on the top floor, a couple of windows were lit up.

"He'll be up there," the Doctor said with utter certainty.

He used the sonic screwdriver to let them in and they took the lift to the top floor, making their way through the dark passages to the single lit office.

The Doctor didn't bother to knock, just pushed the door open.

A man was sitting in a desk chair, swivelled round so his back was to them. "So," a voice from the chair said, which made Jenny's blood run cold. "You found me."

"Mr Straker, I presume," the Doctor said with an edge of sarcasm in his voice.

The chair wheeled round and Jenny gasped. "Harold Saxon?"

The Master rolled his eyes. "I can't go anywhere," he complained. "I can't even have pizza ordered without killing the delivery boy because I spent _one day_ as Prime Minister. I can't show my face anywhere. Honestly, one attempt to rule the world, and now everyone I meet wants to call the police."

"What do you want?" the Doctor demanded.

"Ooh, okay. No time for chat, we want to go straight to the point. Well, you asked for it." The Master set his hands on his desk with his fingers together in a very calm, controlled manner. "I want the TARDIS."

The Doctor stared at him for a long time and then burst out laughing.

"You laugh, Doctor, but I have just as much right to that ship as you do. We are _both_ the last Time Lords of Gallifrey, and the TARDIS was never yours to begin with if I recall. Ergo, I challenge your right to it."

"You must have lost a few brain cells during your last resurrection," the Doctor said, "because you cannot be serious. What in the universe makes you think I would let you anywhere near the TARDIS?"

The Master pointed to Jenny. "Her."

All humour vanished from the Doctor's face and his jaw clenched. "What have you done to Jenny?"

"Nothing that I can't reverse. But that's not going to happen until I get what I want. The TARDIS for your daughter. A fair exchange, wouldn't you say?"

"You really have flipped," the Doctor said. "You're a million times more dangerous with the TARDIS."

"Well, _dur_. That's why I want it."

"No," the Doctor said. "I can't let you have it. No deal. Jenny, we're leaving."

"You'll change your mind!" the Master shouted confidently after them.

* * *

"Does that mean I'll never get my memories back?"

The Doctor had been silent on the way back, pensive with an unreadable eyes, and it was only once they arrived back at Sarah Jane's that Jenny dared breach the silence. At her words, he looked up, startled.

"No." He didn't sound certain. "No, I, I'll find a way, Jenny, I promise. If I can't get the chameleon arch from him, then I'll figure out another way to turn you back."

"Exactly how dangerous is he?"

He sighed, and began to tell stories that made shivers run down Jenny's spine. "He's dangerous enough _without_ the most advanced technology in the universe at his disposal."

"So you can't let him have it," Jenny said. "I understand, Doctor." He nodded. "I guess … I could live without my memories—we could, well, start again, if necessary." She looked at him hopefully.

He stared back for a long moment, and Jenny was sure she could see pain in his eyes. He swallowed. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, we could. I wouldn't abandon you, Jenny, I want you to know that."

It felt very strange staying at home while everyone else went to school. Jenny shared her thoughts with Rani that morning when she came over.

"Well I don't know your dad like Sarah Jane does," Rani said, "but he's immortal, or close enough, I guess he doesn't want you to stay human because that means you'll die long before him."

"Oh," Jenny said, realising what the pain in his eyes earlier meant. "No. That … I don't want that."

"Hey, if anyone can sort this out, it's your dad. I know you barely know him, but trust him, Jenny, he'll figure something out."

**TBC …**


End file.
